Ignition in adiabatic reactors for oxidative coupling of methane

stract A high effective heat conductivity of the catalyst bed and a narrow residence time distribution are the key requirements for any reactor for oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). Bifurcation analysis shows that this allows a steady state adiabatic and autothermal conversion of methane fed at near ambient temperature by utilizing the thermal power of the exothermic reactions while also maximizing the selectivity towards intermediate C2 products. A gas-solid vortex reactor (GSVR) with a rotating dense fluid bed meets these two requirements, making it a very promising reactor candidate for OCM